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The Steam Edition of Final Fantasy III (the official III on the Famicom, not the North American III on the SNES) will be released on Steam May the 28th with “improved 3D visuals and story sequences” says Square Enix, which according to the screenshots can be assumed that the visuals will be about the same as the DS and iOS ports of the game. The game will also feature Steam Trading Card implications as well as “quicker browsing through the monster bestiary”.

Square Enix have previously released Final Fantasy VII and VIII on Steam, so having III end up on Steam instead of IX is somewhat of a surprise but certainly welcome. A previous statement made by Yoshinori Kitase said that he would be interested in investing the Final Fantasy games into the PC further:

"There are lots of regions and countries where PC is very strong. So in terms of our hope of being able to deliver our games to every single country in the world and to as many gamers as possible, yes, we would definitely be interested in pursuing that route in the future...It's an early stage for us. We haven't got an awful lot of experience in this field. So when we have more know-how and experience in this market we would be very interested."

Having played both the 2D and 3D versions of the game, I could say that I personally preferred the 2D version a lot more since it reminded me a lot of the old Final Fantasy on the NES. I stopped halfway into the 3D one since the loading time on the DS wasn’t that great, but if it’s anything like the iOS version I’m sure the loading time will be much quicker (and have a slightly clunky UI, but whatever). Either way, I’d say it’s worth picking up if you haven’t played it yet due to its introduction to the Job System.

What do you think, g1s? Do you guys like that this is happening, or will you be skipping on this version?

Although I'm not that great at fighting games, I've been playing a whole lot of Skullgirls recently, and since the new free DLC character Big Band came out today on PC and PS3 (sorry Xbox fans, you'll have to wait a bit), I think it's only fitting that I post a blog about it. So here are my reasons why Skullgirls appeals to all fans of fighting games, both new and old!

1. Story and Visuals

Let's start with something basic. The premise of Skullgirls is that there's a skull heart that can grant a woman one wish, but it can also cause chaos in the world, so naturally there would be women who want the skull heart for their own desires, and others who would want to destroy it (hence the reason why Big Band was added as a male character). Although the story MODE in the game is not that great (for me it's hard to tell what's going on at times), the story itself is really cool. That and the fact that the world itself is kind of an insane and dark world with strong 1920s film overtones is pretty neat. It reminds me of a mix between the anarchic Cool World and the dark and rainy Blade Runner. SO THERE'S THAT.

2. Similar Gameplay

Now, copying other games is just plain dumb. We've seen it happen with Minecraft clones and other games, but it's when you take an old concept and make it into something new and fun that's interesting. Skullgirls plays very similarly to Marvel vs. Capcom 2, with up to 3 tag-team characters and is very combo-driven, but Skullgirls takes it up a notch. It has a system where you can't use the same mix-up twice in one combo, adding an infinity breaker to break out of a combo. You can also switch characters in ways which you wouldn't expect, not only during a super but also during blocking.

The characters themselves are also very similar to other characters in other games, but with a twist. Ms. Fortune is a Frankenstein cat who plays very similar to Wolverine, but can throw her head for attacking from far away. Valentine is a nurse who plays similar to a ninja (which is one of the reasons why she has bouncing breasts like Mai's from KoF), but she can also throw syringes to slow down attack speed and drain health. These characters are not the most original, certainly, but at the same time they kind of are original because of how Lab Zero took something old, and created something new.

3. Audible and Visual References

It's an indie game, so by golly there's gonna be references, but they're so cleverly done wherever they're put in the game. For example, the color palletes for Peacock (the annoying cartoon girl) include but are not limited to the following: The Grinch, The Warden from Superjail, Super Milk Chan, and Inspecter Gadget. For Filia (the girl with a parasite in her hair), there's a skin for Finn from Adventure Time, no shadows or anything (which makes it even more cartoony). But color palettes are not the only places where there are references. Sometimes the characters themselves will reference something.

Peacock: "You're not bad. You're just drawn badly."

Leviathan (Squigly): "GET OVER HERE"

Announcer: "This battle is all in the mind!"

Big Band: "We have come to terms. See ya, space cowboy."

I don't know about you, any game that references Cowboy Bebop gets almost all of my cred.

Speaking of cred...

4. INDIE CRED

How many games do you know that is not only a 2d fighting game, but is also developed by an indie company? And I'm not talking about games like Divekick, I'm talking a fully realized 2d fighting game that can be played competitively at, say, EVO. There are so many people in the indie scene that made this game a reality and are still making it a reality, with regular updates coming in about once every week. There's even small internet stars such as Joshua Tomar of Jaxamoto, who has done voice work for the announcer, and has done other voice work such as Girlchan in Paradise and Admincraft. Not only that, but they also take input from others to fix bugs and add things in the game. They made an easy-to-follow tutorial on how to play fighting games, which really helps with the learning curve. They even had a vote to who would be new DLC characters for the game, Big Band being one of them. For Pete's sake, they had an April Fools character and kept her because people wanted her.

I personally love that anyone can have Beta access and receive instant updates if they own the PC copy of Skullgirls. I feel that PC is not only superior in the technology department, but also the fact that Steam and others in the PC community are very friendly to their Indie devs. That's more than I can say for Xbox Live Arcade. In fact, I'm gonna write a quick letter. BRB.

Dear 2d Fighting Game Developers,

Please bring SF Third Strike, MvC 1-3, and Killer Instinct (old one or new one, your choice) to Steam or PC, and have them with GGPO Online support. None of that laggy crap that's on games like MK9 on Steam. And if you do not accept to these demands, I will send you pieces of my PS2 copy of Third Strike, bit by bit.

Love,

A Fan

*kiss*

Now, where was I? Oh yes, my conclusion. *ahem*

The people at Lab Zero are constantly working around the clock to make Skullgirls a better game by adding things and fixing bugs. I've never seen this much dedication for a small team of people on a fighting game before. And to that, I say FIGHT ON.

Now that I'm done, it's time for a SHAMELESS SELF-PLUG.

As I've said I'm not very good at fighting games, so I made a series in which I get better from the start! I take input from other people and all that, so if you see me mess up somewhere and I need to be punished for it, then be sure to tell me and I'll correct myself.

Also people said it was fun to watch, so there's that. You can start from the first episode here:

I was about 15 years old at the time, and was still a freshman in high school. I think it was in January when my brother told me about this hilarious person who reviews video games. I watched the first part of the CD-I review where he has a Donkey Kong doll that makes weird finger signs, and it soon came to be that the Angry Video Game Nerd was one of the funniest people I've ever seen on the internet.

I've went through all of his videos on Gametrailers, and I've never really got around to seeing another tab: Video Game Vaults and Top 10s by the guys at ScrewAttack. I've asked my brother if he's seen it, but he says it's not really as funny as the AVGN. I saw the videos after he said that starting with Kirby 64. I myself found them hilarious, and after slapping my brother in the face, I started watching those videos as well.

It was at the moment I saw the top 10 Screwattack moments that they mentioned SGC. The moment I saw that on the list, I instantly wanted to go. I convinced my dad to go since it was only a half hour drive, and the tickets were cheap, so we got 3 special tickets that allowed us to get in there early.

I saw the banner at the hotel, and there I saw my first cosplay; a couple of guys dressed up in TF2 outfits! I was really really excited. Not just to see how much fun people were having, but mostly to actually meet the AVGN in person, and have him sign my Game Boy (I'm a big portable fanatic).

I remember one of my favorite things to go to was the theater. My brother and I were waiting for an AVGN showing, and we were watching Sonic Underground. I absolutely loved how involved the audience was. There was claps and laughs throughout the whole thing, and I don't think I could ever have any other exciting theatrical moment in any theater.

I also vividly remember the day I sat down with Stuttering Craig. All I asked from my dad was an autograph, but he insisted that I sit down with him with a small bag of cheetos and just talk with him. We talked about Mega Man and stuff like that, but I feel that the conversation was... kind of dumbed down. I was really nervous at the time and didn't know what to say, so he was mostly the one talking. Craig, if you're reading this I think we had a great talk, but if I ever get the chance to meet you at SGC 2013, we have to talk again.

There was also a moment with Brentalfloss playing the piano. At the time, I thought he was just a bald guy on a piano. He was playing Mario, and after he was done, I instantly shouted "NOW DO ZELDA!!" He didn't know what to say after that other than a smile, and "oh, if you insist." It was later on the TV screen outside of the stage area that I realized he was more than just a guy playing a piano. I felt embarrased.

But not as embarrasing as the signing of my Game Boy. I was in line to sign my Game Boy with the Angry Video Game Nerd, and I was talking to other people in line about Mario is Missing. I was a PC guy, and was telling them about the horrible PC ports of that game. When I finally got my stuff signed, I told the AVGN about how Mario is Missing on the PC is the worst port out of all of them. That was embarrasing for 3 reasons; 1. because I already talked about it, and he would've overheard me. 2. Because he already mentioned in the video that he would do the console versions because they would stick out, and 3. because I could've said anything else. ANYTHING ELSE! I felt like I wasted my moment with getting my stuff signed, and would never get a chance like this again.

Later that night, I was up late, and left the hotel room to watch some more stuff in the theater. I pushed the button, the elevator came, and I saw him. James Rolfe. The Angry Video Game Nerd is here, on the same floor as me, waiting for an elevator! It was so perfect, because there was no one else there, just me and him. I didn't say much, other than "what do you think of this convention?" as casualy as I possibly could. He said, "I think it's great! It reminds me of *insert obscure convention here*." That was the last time him and I ever spoke. I felt so good, I wanted to shout on a high place somewhere! I told my brother what happened, and he didn't believe me. I felt like I have redeemed myself after that last talk that I had with him! This was the best moment I have ever experienced on any summer vacation. Ever.

So that's my story. I hope that it hasn't bored you in any way, I just wanted to get that off my chest. I also didn't attend SGC 2010, on the grounds that I went to Switzerland, which is like 2 SGCs and 1 Disneyworld combined! I will try to make it to SGC 2013 if it happens, but I don't know if I can promise anything because I'll be off for my first year in college, and anything can happen. If I have a free summer, I can guarantee I'll be there. I also want to say thanks ScrewAttack, for all of the great times. I may have lost the pictures, but I will never forget the memories.